Here a jewel of living room
made by a French craftsman between 1845 and 1851.

This elegant pistol of
living room is approximately in calibre 8, system with percussion. Loading by
the breech with a floating room, holding position by a species of locking of the
bayonet type. The barrel has 8 sides side breech and is round then to the mouth.
Raise and very simple handlebar. The ebony stick has a metal cap.

Marks F StE (of the house of
tests of St Etienne?) and HP spangled (of the controller?) are visible.

The former owner said to me
that the pistol could also accept cartridges of 9mm Flobert, but the gauge is
only max approximately 8,4 mm and the hammer is too short to strike the annular
part.

C.H. Houllier-Blanchard was
a harquebusier with St Etienne of 1845 in 1855 and Paris, Rue of Clery, 1855 to
1870.

Charles Robert is
originating of Suze, the Sarthe, born in 1816 and it was active in Paris, Rue
Cadet 4 until 1851.